


Vicious Cycles

by charlottefrey



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/F, Finn and Poe are sort of accidentally in the Mafia, Hux is a murderous bitch, Kylo is a moody asshole, M/M, Mafia AU, Phasma is done and very gay for Rey, Rey is gay for Phasma, Snoke is a real bitch, although they have yet to realize it, and so is Hux sen, and they are in love, bc benefits, but hey, but they are not complaining (or at least not much), neither lives to see the end of this fic, pretty much useless lesbians and gays in aciton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 13:43:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16096823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlottefrey/pseuds/charlottefrey
Summary: Once right-hand-man Armitage "Twitch" Hux is degraded to a mere accountant when Kylo Ren suddenly becomes Snoke's glorified hound. Ever since then, his hatred for Kylo consumes Hux. But when the tables turn, the two men both come to a surprising realisation.This is generalbux and my contribution to the 2018 KBB!Featuring:- Done Phasma- An even more Done Rey- A very murderous and blood thirtsty Mitaka (the best Mitaka)- Bitching- And some beheading (no grapic description tho)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> back at it again with the stupid AUs
> 
> Hi, after a SUPER long time of nothing happening, I'm back. Or at least back with a new, edited and maybe readable fic. Bc the other shit I've written in the past few weeks and months will probably never see the light of day. We'll see... 
> 
> I was super slow at writing this and there might be some odd jumps in between but I will try to smooth that shit out as I go. Life's been really crazy, my dog had no less than two surgeries and we've gotten back news bc the stuff we cut out was cancer... But all's well that ends well eh?
> 
> ANYWAY!! Enjoy this fic and please be nice to me!

 

> awesome poster by [generalbux](http://generalbux.tumblr.com)

With a slowing _drip-drip-drip_ the bathtub faucet fell silent. Hux exhaled quietly and dipped his hands into the ice cold water. It was already deep red. Despite that Hux was able to watch the blood as it slowly swirled around his gloved fingers. Clots swam on the surface along with bits of flesh and skin.

It was almost poetic how the bathtub looked. The blood already staining the sides of the tub with smears of both Hux’ and Brendol’s hands along the tiles above it. With a sudden movement, Hux retracted his hands from the water and rested his nitrile clad fingers on the rim, looking at the dead man in the tub.

  “Satisfied?” Mitaka asked, leaning against the doorframe of the ruined bathroom.

  “Not quite, but frankly it’s enough now.”

Hux voice was unusually loud and echoey in the empty bathroom. A sneer crossed his lips as he glared into his fathers dead pig eyes. Mitaka scoffed and looked around. Examined the blood spray on the wall and the shower curtain.

  “Made quite the mess, eh?”

  “He made quite the mess out of my life,” Hux retorted sharply. “He deserved this.”

  “Will you claim his body?” Mitaka’s fingers rubbed over the hilt of one of his knives on his belt.

  “Maybe… We’ll have to figure out how to proceed. Snoke will probably suggest I play the role of the grieving son,” Hux shrugged and stood up. “I really want to spit in there, but that would heighten the chances of getting discovered.”

  “Best not,” Mitaka said casually and took the knife resting in the sink. “Did you like it?” He waved the blade slowly.

  “It was splendid. I now understand why you love them so much,” Hux replied with a chuckle. “Just promise me to never use them on me.”

  “You know that I cannot do such a thing,” Mitaka grinned as he tucked it back into the hilt despite the dried blood clinging to it.

  “Fine, let’s put it this way: You better not, because I am the only one willing to supply you with the things you love most,” Hux retorted and pushed past his friend.

Mitaka’s laughter followed Hux into the trashed hotel room. Picking up his leather bag, Hux glanced around one last time. The bedside table was overturned and the bed was ruined, the fillings of the pillows threw across the room. The curtains were ripped out of the rail and were in a heap on the ground.

A calm went over Armitage as he looked around. This was victory and it tasted just as sweet as he had imagined it.

  “Are you still against burning this whole lot?” He asked Mitaka just as he left the bathroom.

  “There are people in the hotel, it would be rude to ruin their stay,” Mitaka said with a shrug.

  “How _considerate_ ,” Hux scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

  “You call it considerate, I call it lazy,” Mitaka retorted. “Now, let’s get back to Snoke. I heard he has a new pet project.”

  “Let’s just hope it won’t be much trouble for us,” Hux replied.

When they left the hotel room, leaving the door unlocked, Hux pulled off his nitrile gloves before disposing them in a small plastic bag.

  “I love how thorough you are,” Mitaka commented while Hux shoved the bag back into his satchel.

  “I don’t like to leave evidence,” he merely replied and stepped into the open elevator. “Just like I don’t like mess.”


	2. I will keep trying this hard

Phasma shut the door of her dark green Mercedes with a little too much force, but other than her no one heard the loud bang. After last nights late activities, she was dreadfully tired. Yet she had enough sense of duty to come to the KoR meetup on time.

When she stepped out of the elevator into the entrance hall, she spotted Rey leaning against a pillar, playing with her phone. If Kylo knew that Phasma had more than strictly platonic feelings for his baby cousin, Phasma was sure that he would gut her on the spot.

Thankfully he didn’t.

  “Hey Rey,” Phasma called over, jerking Rey back into real life.

  “Hi,” Rey squinted at her. “You look like you should be in bed.”

  “Why? Is it that obvious that I was out late?” Phasma asked and ran a hand through her gelled hair.

  “Dude, you have dark rings under your eyes, you never have dark rings!” Rey scoffed and grabbed Phasma’s chin. “What were you up to?”

  “That club a few blocks down from the Millenium has caught Snoke’s eye. He wanted us to strike up a deal because he knew that they had troubled with Death Watch,” Phasma shrugged, pulling back reluctantly. “The owner was more than happy to have us there and well… The drinks were free and Kylo enjoyed himself a little too much. You know how it is.”

  “You mean he was drinking a bit too heavily because of a certain redhead,” Rey deadpanned.

  “Not quite how I would have put it, but you get off scot free for most of the things someone else would get a serious beating for,” Phasma smirked at her.

  “On the other hand I am related to that asshole,” Rey giggled. “It he wouldn’t be such a moron about his crush on Hux it would make my life a lot easier.”

Phasma laughed. Just when she was about to say something, Jyn and Cassian casually strolled into the entrance hall.

  “Morning you two,” Rey called over to them.

While the three chatted about something they did a few days ago, Phasma was content to watch Rey as she engaged the couple in a cheerful conversation. Rey might’ve looked like a carefree young lady to the untrained eye, but Phasma knew that behind her beige long sleeved blouse and her lilac skirt was a woman who had brutally beat up several man in the span of mere minutes.

And Phasma knew for a fact that Rey had enjoyed that very much.

Feeling a little out of place, Phasma turned and walked towards the training room. Already before she opened the door, she heard yelling and loud grunts. The source of the racket were Jessica and Kylo, fistfighting in the middle of the room on a large, dark green mat. Sweat rolled down Jessica’s back and even Kylo looked a little worse for wear.

  “Come on Pava, show the fucker who’s boss,” Phasma yelled over to the two of them before she ducked into the changing room.

Due to the nature of their business, there was a lot of free time in the earlier hours of the day. Most KoR members used that time to either train or laze about at their own headquarter. Occasionally, Snoke would send them out to make an appearance around town or visit the FO HQ.

After Phasma had changed into something more comfortable, she went back into the training room again, only to find that in the five minutes she had been gone, not much had changed apart from the small crowd gathering around the mat.

Phasma stepped beside Rey, who gave a quick glance and a soft smile before turning her attention back to her cousin and Jessica. Kylo retreated a few steps and swung at her, a tight left. Jessica blocked him expertly before attempting to knee him in the solar plexus.

Kylo caught her leg and shoved her down to the mat. Rey cheered him on as he forced the side of Jessica’s face into the sweaty mat.

  “Yield!” He grit out.

Jessica struggled for a few more seconds before she relaxed and lifted her hand in defeat. Swiftly, Kylo moved off her and knelt down on the mat, watching her sit up. His dark eyes fixed on her face.

  “Do not get cocky Jessica, it will get you in trouble as you have seen. Keep tight, keep your limbs together. Only attempt an assault when you already have your enemy on the robes or when they are too close to overpower you,” Kylo said calmly.

  “Yes,” Jessica nodded.

  “Apart from that last move, you’ve done really well,” Kylo reached out to her, helping her on her feet.

The KoR members came forward to congratulate Jessica on holding up against Kylo for such a long time. Phasma smirked and shoved Kylo when he walked past her.

  “You like her.”

  “She’s got a ton of potential. And she’s a quick learner,” Kylo merely shrugged.

Phasma arched one eyebrow when she saw the smirk playing on his lips before he took a sip. Slowly, the crowd disbanded and everyone began their training. Phasma glanced through the room and decided to wait until Kylo was ready to have a second match. Together with Jessica and Rey, she sat down on one of the benches.

  “Christ, I thought that Kylo was about to kill me when he pressed me into the mat,” Jessica laughed as she toyed with her water bottle.

  “Trust me the only person Kylo would like to kill in the First Order is Twitch,” Rey promised her with a smirk.

  “Twitch?” Jessica looked at Rey with a confused expression.

  “Hux, the redheaded accountant. You must’ve seen him at the HQ, he and Kylo get into shouting matches everytime they see each other,” Phasma said. “His nickname is Twitch.”

  “Yeah, the scary one who’s always with that asian dude,” Jessica nodded.

  “Scary doesn’t quite cut it with Hux,” Phasma giggled.

  “Pretty fuking terrifying sounds more like it eh?” Rey snorted. “But hey, he didn’t get his nickname for shits and giggles.”

  “I feel like there’s a story here, but I am not really sure if i want to hear it,” Jessica glanced at Rey with a small smile.

  “We will keep it pg-13 if you want,” Phasma offered.

  “That would be lovely!” Jessica grinned.

  “Phasma, would you do us the honour of telling the story now…” Rey smiled up at her.

  “Certainly,” Phasma smiled back and inhaled. “Hux and I went to the same military school together. His dad’s been in the First Order ever since he graduated school, so it was kind of obvious where Hux would end up. Before that though, Palpatine was assassinated and Snoke took power. The moment Hux and I joined, we were groomed to be Snoke’s guard dogs.

“That’s when Hux got his nickname. He has a prominent twitch in his right eye when he gets angry, sometimes I’ve even seen it take over the entire right side of his face down to his mouth. And believe me when I say that that’s kinda terrifying to watch when you know the outcome,” Phasma shrugged. “He’s able to control it better these days especially after Snoke forced to quit active duty and take up a position in accounting.”

  “Isn’t that the worst thing he could’ve done?” Jessica muttered. “Like he’s not even worth killing off? So Snoke simply shoved him into a corner and did business as usual.”

  “Trust me, that’s only half of the truth. The other thing is that Hux senior once tried to get rid of his son. He ended up dismembered in a bathtub at the Hotel Eleanor,” Rey smirked. “Hux doesn’t like to be backstabbed and tends to lash out when he’s cornered. He’s never missed so far.”

  “Sometimes I am really glad that I have so little to do with him…” Jessica muttered. “I mean killing you own father is all kinds of fucked up…”

  “He’s not that bad when he’s on your side,” Phasma chuckled. “Also, Hux senior was a real asshole, no one missed him one way or the other. And for Hux is was repayment for years of neglect and abuse.”

  “Frankly, I wasn’t surprised when I heard about it. I believe personally that both Huxes knew where their relationship was heading. In a ‘one can’t survive while the other lives’ bullshit,” Rey shrugged.

Jessica merely nodded, deep in thought as she stared into the distance.

 

The ceiling fan swirled above Hux’ head as he leafed through his paperwork. A few pages about the monthly protection money of a small bar was missing. With growing frustration and annoyance, Hux turned his chair to look through the cupboard behind him. He was just in the process of pulling out a folder when the door was slammed open and banged against the wall, deepening the dent the doorknob had created on previous occasions.

  “Ren,” Hux acknowledged. “What did you do to poor Mitaka this time?”

  “What did you do to my bonus?” Ren snapped back.

Slowly Hux turned around in his chair. He folded his hands under his chin and grinned. Ren in his usual outfit of black jeans, black dress shirt and leather jacket glared at him, the holster of his handgun visible through the scuffed leather. A smirk played on his thin lips as he stared at Ren.

  “Stop acting like a damn Bond villain!” Ren kicked Hux’ desk in pure rage.

  “Don’t fucking ruin my furniture,” Hux barked back. “If I am a Bond villian, that would make you Bond, but guess what? You are too ugly to be James Bond. You’d be either a stupid hench villain or a middleman getting killed ten minutes into the movie.”

  “Fuck off and tell me what you did with my bonus,” Ren said, visibly cooling down now.

  “I simply took your damn bonus, subtracted the money you cost us this month and paid you the rest of what was left,” Hux replied with a sweet smile.

  “Three dollars and twenty-five cents,” Ren threw his bank statement onto Hux’ desk.

With disinterest, Hux looked down onto the slip of paper and picked it up gently.

  “Yes,” Hux smirked and leaned forward. “Your point is?” With a flutter, he let it fall back into his desk.

  “This. This is fucking ridiculous!” Ren slammed his massive hands down on the table. “I will inform Snoke of this _treason_ and he will deal with you as he pleases.”

  “So dramatic, throwing around the word treason. Just because you want to deal with me as you please, doesn’t mean others want to do the same…” Hux snarled as he rose from the table and shoved his face into Ren’s personal space.

  “Why would I deal with you. You’ve managed to get from Snoke’s right hand man to a stupid little accountant,” Ren stared into Hux’ eyes with a murderous intensity. “You’re as useless as the dirt on my shoes.”

  “Maybe next time Snoke’s right hand man ends up dead in a ditch if we’re lucky,” Hux replied calmly and slowly sat down. “Are you volunteering?”

He let his eyes twitch for a second and had the utter satisfaction of watching a horrified expression take over Ren’s face for just a moment. It was gone in an instant, replaced by the fake cool mask Ren wore day in and day out. Hux knew it was utter bullshit, just a facade he kept up to fool everyone.

  “Fuck you,” Ren simply said and stepped away from the table.

  “You wish,” Hux replied boredly as he turned his chair around to continue his search.

He heard Ren breathing behind him as he calmly looked through a pile of papers. Determined not to pay any attention to the insufferable man, Hux continued his search.

  “Do you have any other issues you want to discuss with me?” Hux muttered as he swiveled his chair back around, the missing papers in hand.

  “No. Yes,” Ren sighed. “The Deathwatch is gaining traction and we’re pretty much in the dark about most things. They somehow know where we’re located and turn up, always outnumbering us.”

  “Sounds like a you problem,” Hux snarled.

  “Jesus, can’t you be nice for one damn time?” Ren inhaled. “Please.”

  “Who knew you could beg for something so sweetly,” Hux smirked. “Try to get someone undercover into their ranks to figure out what exactly is going on. That’s all the advice I’m willing to give you. Now leave my office this instant,” Hux ordered sharply.

Ren scoffed and turned away. When he left he slammed the door shut, causing the expensive watch above it to shake quite badly. Only moments later Hux’ peace was interrupted again.

  “Yikes, that dude was pissed.”

Not looking up from his paperwork Hux scoffed.

  “Mitaka, you are here to keep these kind of people out of my office. What the hell did you do?”

  “I was trying to! But that new girl and some other idiots simply pushed me against a damn wall. It was one against five!” Mitaka shot back.

  “You could’ve easily disposed of them,” Hux replied without missing a beat.

  “Yeah and ruin your new carpeting.”

Hux looked up at Mitaka with a sly grin.

  “How lovely of you to think of the carpeting Mitaka, I knew you were a true friend,” Hux said softly.

  “I know what’s important to you.”

After another minute of wolfishly grinning at each other, Mitaka turned around and left Hux alone again. With a sigh, hux leaned back and closed his eyes.

There was something about Ren that always unsettled and enraged Hux. It had something to do with being bested and outdone at almost every turn by the other. Ren was stronger, more powerful and a lot angrier than Hux, but also sloppier, more brutal and as precise as an bull in a china shop.

Where Hux had a clear cut target, a sniper rifle in the dark or a gun with a silencer, Ren detonated like an atom bomb. Everywhere he went, he brought destruction. There was something intriguing about Ren’s raw strength, his brutal methods.

A cruel smile played at Hux’ lips as he thought about the destruction Ren was able to bring upon the world on his command instead of Snoke’s. Ren could be his lapdog, an omnipotent weapon sitting next to his feet, impatiently waiting for the word allowing him to go off.

Hux huffed and shook his head. He shouldn’t lose himself in his power fantasies like that.

 

  “Do you sometimes wonder how we got ourselves into this mess?” Poe asked as he leaned back in his chair.

  “Actually that’s like the one thing I don’t think about,” Finn replied and lifted his eyes off his screen. “It’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.”

  “Maybe,” Poe said.

  “Not maybe, definitely.”

  “Is there really nothing else we can do to earn a living wage?”

  “Poe, don’t push it. We earn almost thrice the minimum wage, we don’t get shouted at unless we _really_ fuck up and we get to work in an air conditioned building. Like… Can it get any better,” Finn replied and rolled his eyes.

Poe muttered something and returned his attention to work. With a soft sigh, Finn looked at his boyfriend. Maybe it had been a bad idea to work for one of the biggest underground organisations in America, but it was definitely a lot better than any of the jobs they had previously held.After their exchange the only sound were their fingers on the keyboards.

The positions they were currently holding had been advertised as ‘software engineers’ and the benefits and pay were to die for. Literally. Finn was happy that no one so far had told them why the positions were vacant in the first place and he hoped nobody would ever tell them. Thankfully so far, the most dangerous thing they had done was credit card fraud and the occasional override of a few security cameras.

Nothing big. Nothing to worry about, at least in Finn’s opinion.

Finn, who was sitting closer to the door, heard footsteps and halted his typing. Poe looked up and his fingers rested against the keyboard. While Finn intently listened who came down the long corridor, he felt Poe’s eyes on him.

  “I think it’s Hux,” Finn said quietly.

A few seconds later the door opened and Hux entered the room, a large paper envelope in hands.

  “Evening,” he said quietly and nodded at both.

Finn immediately saw the harsh line around his mouth and how stiffly he moved. He looked haggard and tired, but also riled up. Something had happened earlier today and he hadn’t been able to wind down since.

  “Everything alright?” Finn asked casually.

  “Not really,” Hux replied, his upper lip twitching. “Ren barged in and threw a tantrum.”

Finn nodded slowly, beckoning Hux to continue but nothing came.

  “He’s the biggest pain in the ass I’ve never met,” Poe muttered instead. “I lost count how often I had to wipe a security camera because of him.”

  “Trust me, that is the smallest issue I have with him. He costs us too much money,” Hux sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “But I assume you are aware of the issue.”

  “More than we like to,” Finn chuckled. “I hope he didn’t break something in your office.”

  “Almost ruined my table, my watch and my door. Ah and the wall has a few more dents than before,” Hux sighed. “Anyway, I didn’t come here to rant about Ren, I wanted to bring you your weekly  salary.”

Hux handed Finn the envelope.

  “Thanks Hux. You don’t always have to bring it to us personally,” Finn set it down next to his keyboard even though his fingers itched to open it and look inside.

  “Nonsense. You two are the only normal people in this hellhole. I need these few minutes of small talk to get me through a whole week of dealing with the Knights of Ren and the bloody Deathwatch. Not even mentioning Kylo or Snoke,” Hux sighed and inhaled deeply. “Have a nice weekend you two and see you next week.”

Without even waiting for their reply, Hux turned sharply and left the room.

  “He is a decent guy,” Poe said and pulled the envelope over to his side of the desk.

  “Decent for a Mafiosi.”

  “Sweety, I think we can afford something a little more fancy this week,” Poe held up the cash for Finn to see.

  “Whoa… That’s more than usual.”

  “We did work some overtime after the whole debacle with Deathwatch.”

  “Just the concept of overtime pay is so wild to me, sorry,” Finn laughed.

  “It kinda is though. I can’t remember the last time we got paid for overtime,” Poe grinned.

  “You know sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened to us if we hadn’t taken these positions.”

  “I don’t know, we would’ve probably ended in a ditch because we are so damn shitty at budgeting,” Poe shrugged. “We would have earned a shit wage with shit benefits with no overtime pay during shit hours.”

  “And instead we earn a lot of money, work in an airconditioned building with a weird, oddly loveable boss and his maybe-one-day-boyfriend, who likes to murder people.”

  “Are you referring to Ren?”

  “What made you think that?”

  “Frankly, I can’t really explain it. Maybe it’s because whenever I see those two together, I can hear wedding bells in the distance, coupled with gunshots, but all very harmonic. Maybe it’s because those two are always five seconds away from hate-fucking,” Poe smirked.

Finn threw his head back and laughed.

> comic by [generalbux](http://generalbux.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and giving kudos! If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment!


	3. You question your reasons

The dull rumble of the Range Rover’s engine didn’t really help with Jessica’s fatigue. She hadn’t slept well last night and the intense training started to wear her down. Phasma sat next to her, playing on her phone. Jessica looked at her for a while.

It fascinated her how strong Phasma was. She had seen the woman throw other KoR members around the ring without batting an eye. There was something raw about Phasma’s strength and it was very intriguing. She had also noticed how Rey looked at Phasma and the other way ‘round.

A smile made her lips twitch upwards for a heartbeat before she closed her eyes. Leaning her head back against the cool window she sighed softly.

 “Tired?” Phasma suddenly asked quietly.

Cracking her eyes open, Jessica sat up properly again. It took more strength than she had expected to.

  “Yeah. Insomnia is fun,” Jessica replied with a slight frown.

  “I’ll have a word with Kylo to go a little easy on you,” Phasma said with a smile. “He can be a bit mean to new recruits. I might even be able to convince him to give you the weekend off.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “We can’t have you distracted.”

Phasma winked at her and the car slowly pulled into a parking lot, jostling the passengers. Jessica gave a tired smile and sighed before she climbed out of the car. The air was thick and tasted of rain as the small group met up next to Kylo’s pick up truck.

  “We were told that there’s a deal going down between a few club owners in this area. Snoke ordered us to break that deal up. They are about to form a sort of neighbourhood watch in order to fuck us up,” Kylo said as he leaned against the driver’s door. “We do not need that kind of bullshit. So _we_ will fuck _them_ up.”

The smirk on his face was optimistic and cocky. The one thing Jessica didn’t quite like about Kylo was his utter hybris. He had thrown Hux off his high pedestal, but he didn’t see that the same thing could easily happen to himself.

Instead of telling him that though, the majority of KoR ducked their heads and kept their mouths shut. Phasma probably would step in if things got out of hand, she was maybe the only one brave enough to put Kylo in his place.

The only one who would tell it to Kylo straight and honest was Hux. Kylo would never listen to him.

He’d simply send them in, break up the deal and smother all resistance. Regardless of how many men would be in there and how many weapons they had on themselves. Jessica remembered the last few times there had been violence. Several KoR members had been injured by their opponents. Fear made Jessica’s stomach flutter and she looked at the people around her.

She wondered how many would end up in hospital today.

Jessica’s lip curled when she thought about probable outcomes and she quickly decided it was not worth thinking about. She was powerless in this particular case and the only thing she could do was to minimize the damage for herself and maybe the rest of the KoR.

  “Come on, let’s get going,” Phasma said.

Without another word, everyone started moving, following Kylo’s lead across the deserted parking lot. A few cars stood around, so dirty and run-down that it was obvious that they had been left here to rot.

Jessica glanced around, inhaling deeply and sending a prayer to the heavens.

The first gunshot was silent, presumably fired with a silencer. The dirt flew up high where the bullet hit the ground. Instantly the group burst apart. Phasma grabbed Rey and Jessica, pulling them behind a rusty Cadillac pick up.

 “Fucking shit,” Phasma rasped out and pulled her gun. “That’s either the Death Watch or those moronic club owners.”

The window shattered above Jessica’s head and showers her in glass shards. Coughing, she rolled way, pressing her back against the front wheel. In a daze she watched Rey and Phasma take turns shooting through the ruined windows, aiming at attackers Jessica couldn’t see.

Her heart was going a mile a minute as she tried to get her act together. It wasn’t the first time ever she had encountered Death Watch. Rey glanced over at her, a crease upon her brow as she quickly changed the clip in her gun.

 “Jessica you good?” She asked, cocking her weapon.

Unable to speak, Jessica merely nodded and pulled out her own pistol, her fingers finding their position on their own. With a pounding heart, she cocked it and readied herself to shoot. Swinging up and around, she aimed for the small hut on the other side of the parking lot. She had just fired a few shots when a searing pain went through her shoulder and she fell backwards.

Slowly losing consciousness, Jessica heard Rey yelling and only registered a pair of hands grabbing her head before she was out.

 “Kylo!” Rey snarled, scrubbing her hands in the sink. “I told you that she wasn’t ready. Now she’s got a bullet wound in her shoulder and the doctor is uncertain if she will ever be able to use her arm properly again.”

Kylo didn’t reply, instead turning an empty bullet casing between his long fingers. Phasma shook her head.

The three of them stood in a small bathroom in the KoR headquarters. The firefight had happened two hours ago, but everyone still felt it in their bones. Most of the KoR had went home or to visit their injured friends in hospital.

Rey’s hands were still stained a dark brown-red from Jessica’s blood.

  “At least try to act as if you cared!” She barked. “Jessica’s a good girl and I’d be damn furious if her injury turns out to be more problematic than it seems.”

She turned around to glare at her cousin. The water dripping from her hands was a slight pink colour, dried blood was still clinging to her nails.

  “Stop making me responsible! I didn’t ask Death Watch to be there and start a shoot out.”

  “We’re only making you responsible for being a dickhead who doesn’t care about his people!” Phasma snapped. “You sent us in there. You wanted a show of power and instead we got beaten up real bad!”

  “Shut up!” Kylo yelled and threw the bullet casing at Phasma.

It bounced off her chest and fell to her feet with a loud metallic ping. Phasma stared at Kylo, her face serious and her eyes icy. Without breaking eye contact she slapped him across the face before turning around and leaving the room. Rey scoffed and rolled her eyes.

 “Sometimes you are such a moron,” she said quietly.

Then she too was gone, leaving the door slightly open. Kylo stared at the bullet casing on the ground. He wasn’t pissed that Rey and Phasma chewed him out. Mainly he was pissed at himself that he hadn’t notice the danger sooner.

 “Kylo,” Jyn leaned against the doorframe, her dark hair hanging into her face. “There’s someone you should speak to.”

  “Huh?” Kylo frowned at her as he leaned down to pick up the bullet case.

  “We captured one of the Death Watch after they ran. Seems to be injured in some way, but we haven’t seen a bullet wound.”

Slowly, Kylo nodded as he turned the smooth steel case between his fingers. Jyn furrowed her eyebrows, seemingly unnerved by how long it took Kylo to make a decision.

  “Where are they?” Kylo asked eventually.

  “Just down the hall. Twitch’s gotten wind of the whole thing and Mitaka is already there, keeping an eye on her,” Jyn rolled her eyes.

  “He doesn’t trust us to handle our own business now?” Kylo barked, channeling his whole pent up anger and frustration at Hux.

  “Death Watch isn’t just our damn problem and you know it,” Jyn sighed. “Twitch is right in sending Mitaka as much as I hate to admit that. We have to be careful or else we’re not getting anything outta that fucker.”

Kylo grunted and simply walked out of the room, pumping his shoulder into Jyn’s. She hissed sharply and turned to watch him as he stomped down the corridor.

  “So fucking unnecessary!” She yelled.

When Kylo turned around a corner, he already saw Mitaka leaning against the wall next to a non-descript door, playing with one of his knives as he chatted with Lesly, a mountain of a woman. The two seemed awfully chummy.

 “Mittens,” Kylo said harshly. “Has Hux sent his lapdog again?”

  “He has,” Mitaka smirked, knife suddenly twirling on the back of his hand. “Problem officer?”

Kylo snarled and was about to retort something, when he saw Lesly slowly shaking her head. With a huff, Kylo opened the door leading into the impromptu interrogation room.

A young woman sat at a small table, her short light brown hair a mess. There was a small scar on one of her cheeks, running up until her eye. With wide, icy blue eyes she watched Kylo enter the room. Each of his movements were deliberate and intimidating. She swallowed and clenched her hands, which were shackled to the table.

  “Who are you?” Kylo asked as he slowly took a seat.

  “Nike,” She said quietly.

  “Nike, like the the Greek goddesses?”

She tentatively nodded yes.

 “Hadn’t had much luck today, eh?” Kylo stretched his legs out and smirked.

To his utter surprise, she scoffed.

 “Hadn’t had any luck in the past few fucking months mate,” Nike sighed. “I hadn’t actually planned to join a criminal gang when I moved here from England. But alas… Here we are.”

  “What brought you here?” Kylo asked, a little intrigued.

  “I studied architecture until I failed my courses,” She played with her fingernails, chipping a bit off her polish. “Somehow I got my sorry ass into this mess, no idea how.”

  “What do you think we’ll do to you?” Kylo asked quietly.

  “I don’t know, fuck me up real good?” Nike laughed. “Maybe even kill me.”

  “Not if you are cooperative.”

Nike looked at him, a sudden sharpness in her expression. Her lips were drawn taunt and she had narrowed her eyes. With the stark light coming from the overhead strip light Kylo noticed how it made her high cheekbones and sharp chin stand out.

He didn’t think she would put much of a fight one way or the other. She seemed like an opportunist.

  “What do you want to know?” She asked, watching him closely.

  “Who’s the Death Watch sponsor? How the hell do you always know where we are? Why are you targeting us?” Kylo leaned forward. “And what’s your damn endgame?”

  “Our ‘endgame’ is the destruction of the KoR and the First Order,” Nike replied. “I don’t know why… We only get instructions from one guy above us and where he gets ‘em from, no idea. The sponsor is someone super shady. Never seen him. One of the others once did though. Claimed to have gotten nightmares because that fucker looked like something straight outta a horror movie.”

She shrugged and fiddled with her cuffs. Kylo watched her as she rapidly blinked, a clear sign of her nervosity.

  “How long have you been a part of Death Watch,” Kylo asked.

  “A few months now,” Nike replied. “Not nearly long enough to have seen much of the organisation. But I know that some fucked up shits going on down there.”

  “Like what?”

 “You’re expected to cut yourself with a damn old sabre to prove you’re worth it,” Nike pointed to her cheek. “Not the coolest shit to be honest.”

  “Why were you a part of Death Watch in the first place then?”

  “Shit happens mate,” Nike laughed. “I slipped into it and once I had noticed that I was knee deep in shit, it was already too late. It was either that or death. And despite it all, I love living.”

Kylo watched her. She was barely in her twenties and had already gotten herself in quite a lot of trouble. Slowly he leaned forward. She reminded him a little bit of Jessica and that hurt more than he expected.

  “I have an offer for you… You find out what they want, who’s behind all that shit and we’ll get you a new life someplace else.”

Nike stared at him with wide, surprised eyes. Watching the wheels turn in her head, Kylo waited patiently. She would agree. He knew it.

Hux slowly leaved through his magazine, pondering on the article he was reading, when the door to his office was opened harshly.

  “Ren,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Come to complain again?”

To his utter surprise, Ren was silent and even went as far as to close the door behind him. Hux arched his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair as he watched Ren fiddle with his thumb ring.

  “Speak or leave, don’t just stand like a middle schooler!” Hux barked sharply.

Ren grunted and took a seat, biting his lip nervously. About to run out of patience, Hux opened his mouth to snap at him again, when Ren spoke.

  “I gotta discuss something really serious,” he said quietly. “I’ve… I’ve thought about who to tell about this and you are the most logical choice.”

  “What, are you going to tell me that you want to become a pastry baker?” Hux smirked.

  “It’s got something to do with Death Watch.”

Snapping to attention Hux leaned forward, hands bracing on his desk. Ren glanced up from his tangled hands, swallowing. Hux had never in all the year he’d known Ren seen the man so nervous. It was so out of character that a shiver went down Hux’ back and he had to swallow.

  “You know that we captured that young woman a few weeks ago and sent her back as a mole. She’s come back to us yesterday and informed me of the man behind the organisation. Not Pre Vizsla, the actual mastermind behind all the attacks,” Ren’s voice was low and quiet.

Hux leaned forward even further, hanging on Ren’s lips.

  “It’s… Snoke.”

 “What?” Hux fell into his chair and barked out a laugh. “What the hell Ren, she’s lied to you, that’s all.”

  “She didn’t. She’s given me proof that Snoke’s involved,” Ren replied. “I didn’t believe it either at first, but… Just watch this okay?”

Ren pulled out his phone and set it down in front of Hux before he played a short video. It was shaky and slightly grainy due to the fact it was recorded in a dark hall, but there was Snoke, standing amongst the Death Watch members, side by side with Pre Vizsla.

  “Oh shit.”

Hux groaned and stood up, a restlessness settling into his system. He rubbed a hand over his face harshly before he started walking up and down the room. Ren, still seated, watched him as he marched. There was something in Ren’s eyes that made Hux stop dead in his tracks.

  “What the hell do we do now?” Hus asked him.

  “We still have our mole, supplying us with intel on the Death Watch movements. I’d suggest we keep her there until it’s either too risky or we don’t need her anymore,” Ren suggested.

For a few seconds, Hux looked at him before he slowly took a seat again. He folded his hands and rested his chin on them. As he closed his eyes, he inhaled deeply.

  “To my utter surprise,” Hux began and opened his eyes. “I have to say this is actually a good plan.”

Ren grinned and brushed a hand through his messy dark hair. Hux smiled back at him.

Phasma chose that exact moment to quietly open the door. When she saw the two looking at each other like lovesick teenagers, she rolled her eyes and turned around, shutting the door just as quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and giving kudos! If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment!


	4. I will bring back the dead thing

The light of Hux’s computer hurt his eyes. With a sigh, he fell back into the soft cushion of his chair. There was little he could do about his headache and burning retinas. His dry throat clenched and he reached for his mug. The tea was already cold, but he drank it anyway, the too-strong liquid leaving a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. 

He groaned quietly as he stretched his stiff limbs and listened to the pop of his joints. Everything hurt and everything burned. Closing his eyes he told himself that it was only for a minute. Just a minute. 

He startled awake when someone forced his way into his office. Sluggishly, he rose to his feet, leaning heavy on the table. The figure in the doorway blocked out the light coming from the hall. 

  “Hux,” Kylo said simply before he slammed the door shut. 

  “What is it?” Hux asked, irritated and annoyed. 

  “Thought you should have a look at this,” Kylo muttered and dropped a large plastic bag to Hux’ feet.

Feeling unsease build in his stomach, Hux reached for the black plastic and slowly opened it under loud rustling. He licked his lips nervously when he smelled clotted blood. With one last glance at Kylo towering over him, Hux reached inside until his fingers touched a smooth, round surface. Squishy to the touch and a bit further down, the shell of an ear. 

Something ice cold and terrifying grabbed his heart and he slowly looked up into Kylo’s face. 

  “Kylo… Is this Snoke’s head?” He asked, voice cracking as he spoke. 

  “Yes.” 

A beat of silence. 

  “What has gotten into you?” Hux snarled and pushed the bag further down to examine Snoke’s severed head.

There was a dump expression on his face, but that was partially due to the scrunched up scar he had on one side of his cheek. One of his eyes was open and stared into the room, cold and empty. The other was shrouded in loose, dry skin. Hux swallowed hard, eyes flitting over Snoke’s features.

  “Have all your sense left you?” Hux spat and stood up, pulling the black bag back over the head. 

Kylo just stared at him, eyes hollow and dark. A fury rose in Hux’ chest, hot and searing through his veins. 

  “You just murdered out fuckin leader and you have nothing to say?” Hux screamed, jumping from his chair. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I sometimes wondered if I worked with an ape and apparently I was right!” 

With two long steps, he stood in front of Kylo. Hux shoved him backwards and the taller man simply moved, no resistance. Without thinking, Hux slapped Kylo’s face. There was no reaction from Kylo other than a pained grunt. 

  “What the everloving fuck are we supposed to do now, huh?” Hux punched Kylo’s chest. “Maybe we’ll just all take a nice lil cyancaly pill and  _ be done with it _ . Because without someone leading us, we’re fucked.” 

Kylo still didn’t say anything and just stared at Hux with wide, dark eyes. 

  “Will you fucking  _ say _ something?” Hux yelled and grabbed Kylo by the shoulders and flung him through the room, causing Kylo to stumble into a chair. 

Silence fell over them as Kylo slowly stood up and righted the chair. For a while, Hux’ erratic breathing was the only sound in the room. He was about to snap and shoot Kylo, when Kylo opened his mouth and spoke.

  “He wanted me to kill you.” 

  “What,” Hux gasped out. 

  “He wanted me to kill you,” Kylo repeated, his voice more stable than before. “Snoke had planned that for a while now apparently.” 

  “Are you serious?” Hux asked sharply. 

  “Yes. That’s… That’s why I killed him.” 

  “And here I thought you’d rejoice in being allowed to kill me,” Hux bit out. 

  “No.” Until then, Kylo had stared at his hands. Only now he looked up. “Why would I rejoice in killing you?” 

There was an almost inhuman hurt on Kylo’s face. 

It tore at something in Hux’ chest.  

  “Kylo…” He began.

  “I know how fucked we are and I know how fucked up this situation is, but please…” Kylo sighed. “There’s gotta be a way out of it.”

Hux licked his lips and closed his eyes for a moment. 

  “There is,” he said quietly. 

  “And?” 

  “We better call Tarkin,” Hux replied and reached for the phone. 

  
  


Mitaka leaned against the parked Jeep with as he smoked his third cigarette of the hour. Stress burned in his chest and he needed it gone, he wanted it gone. 

It didn’t go.

Not after hours of training, drinking and smoking. He watched his fingers shiver as they held the cigarette. A chill had settled into his bones and he knew that it didn’t come from the nicotine. Steps made him look up. 

Phasma and Rey slowly strolled over the parking lot, both leaning against each other. Phasma looked at him and he slowly nodded at her. They used to be really good friends until Snoke had forced Phasma and Hux into different part of the FO, seperating them and keeping them apart and busy. 

Now Phasma would return to her position as Hux bigger, badder shadow. And Mitaka didn’t know if there was space in that picture for him. 

  “Hey,” Rey said quietly when the two women had reached him. 

  “Hi,” Mitaka replied. “How’re you doing?” 

  “As well as it’s to be expected,” Phasma replied with a shrug. “Hux and Kylo haven’t been seen since they left the headquarters yesterday evening. So far only little information has trickled through and rumors are running high.” 

  “I assume the rats are slowly abandoning ship?” 

  “Yeah,” Rey snorted. “Dirty little cheats.” 

  “They have to think of themselves,” Phasma tried. 

  “We fed them, we took care of them, we  _ paid _ them proper wages. And now they’re backstabbing us…” Mitaka snarled. “No, sorry, I have no remorse for them.” 

  “That’s a discussion we’ve had countless times Mitaka and we’re not having them here and now. We just don’t have the time for it.” 

Mitaka nodded slowly and dropped his cigarette, before he stepped on it. 

  “Yeah,” he replied. “You’re right.” 

  “I feel as if I have a deja-vu.” 

Mitaka scoffed. 

  “No, seriously. Hux senior died because of the same damn reasons why Snoke died.” 

  “Not entirely. Snoke died of his hybris and his ego, Hux senior died because he was a self-entitled asshole who used his son as a punching bag,” Mitaka replied. “The only thing they had in common was their involvement with the Deathwatch.” 

Phasma hummed. 

  “It feels similiar you know.” 

  “It does.” 

Mitaka sighed and pulled out another cigarette. As he lit it, he tried not to show his tremor that much. 

  “I didn’t know that,” Rey said into the silence. 

  “What?” Mitaka mumbled around his cigarette. 

  “That Hux’ dad was involved with the Deathwatch.” 

  “Not many know that,” Phasma shrugged. “Snoke didn’t want them to know. He was content with Hux letting of steam and everyone thinking it was because Hux senior got a little too cocky.” 

Rey nodded slowly. 

  “This is such a fucked up world.” 

  “You made it yours when you joined,” Mitaka said sharply. 

  “Yes,” Rey snapped back. “And most of the time I like it. Just sometimes… I would rather be someone else.” 

Phasma pulled her close and let Rey lean against her. Mitaka watched them as he smoked his last cigarette. 

  “Do you need a lift home?” He asked them. 

  “No, thanks,” Phasma replied. “See you tomorrow?” 

  “Probably. I still don’t know shit though,” Mitaka replied.

  “We’ll figure it out somehow,” Phasma smiled at him. “Stay safe.” 

  “You too, you too.”

  
  



	5. He blames the flame within

The ringing of his phone woke Kylo in the middle of the night. Groggily, he reached for it and answered. He was tired and pissed off and would much rather stay in bed than anything else.

Three minutes later he found himself dressed, in his car and on his way to the headquarters.

Phasma’s frantic voice still ringing in his head, how her voice _cracked_ when she said that Hux was still in there and the sound of unshed tears layering her words. The panic as she begged him to come over and help.

Phasma never panicked, Phasma never cried and Phasma never lost her cool.

Kylo’s heart was beating so hard in his chest, he was worried it might suddenly stop from over exertion. His hands were sweaty and clung to the steering wheel tight enough to turn his knuckles white. He caught a glimpse of his face in the rear view mirror.

Pale, with wide eyes and a tight line instead of lips he was barely able to recognize himself. Something haunted in his gaze, a deep unexplained terror that kept him going despite his fatigue.

Kylo was at the headquarter before he knew it. Maybe he had run some red lights and broken the speed limit a few times times. But all that faded into the back of his mind when he saw the burning building.

The terror in his chest grew and eliminated all rational thought.

The top floors were already going up in flames completely, walls and window holes barely visible anymore. The smoke was thick and black and ever where.

Kylo stepped out of the car and despite the immense heat pulsing through the air he was cold. A shiver ran down his spine as the took in the scene before him. Ambulances had arrived and took care of the injured. No less than five firetrucks attempted to hose the flames out, but to no avail.

Frantically, Kylo looked around. He relaxed a little when he spotted Phasma, standing by her car, arms thrown around Rey.

  “Rey!” Kylo ran over to his cousin.

  “Kylo,” She forced out, sobbing. “Hux is still in there. Tried to get him.”

  “The Firefighters are trying their best, but I don’t know where Hux is exactly. Rey couldn’t find him and Poe told me he’s probably in his office,” Phasma’s face is wet from tears and something tears at Kylo’s heart viciously.

Kylo stared at her, into her wide panicked eyes. His mouth started to taste sour and went dry. Tears ran over Rey’s dirtied face as she looked at Kylo.

  “I would find Hux’ office blind,” Kylo replied and turned to his car.

Grabbing a scarf and a bottle of water, he slammed the trunk shut. He heard Rey yelling something, but he kept on walking towards the building. Slowly, he drenched the scarf in water before he threw the bottle aside and wrapped the wet fabric around his nose and mouth.

One of the firefighters tried to stop him from entering the building, but Kylo simply shoved him aside and stomped on, determined to reach his destination.

Without a glance back he walked into the smoke.

Inside, the heat was insane. Kylo instantly felt the sweat running down the back of his neck as he slowly made his way through the ground floor. He had a singular goal and he would find it regardless of what would happen.

Flames flickered out some of the doors he passed, but so far the flames hadn’t reached the bottom floors. The carpeted floor was covered with ash and dust, Kylo’s steps stirring it up as he walked down the corridor.

Kylo’s beating heart almost droned out the sound of the fire a few stories above him. If something would’ve happened to Hux… Kylo didn’t even dare to finish that thought. Instead, he kicked down Hux’ office door.

An arm rested on the ground, peeking out behind the massive wooden desk. Stumbling over his own feet, Kylo hurried to Hux, laying on the ground, coughing. When he looked up at Kylo, there was a soft smile around his lips, his expression almost delirious. Falling to his knees, Kylo helped Hux to sit up against his desk.

Without thinking too much, Kylo pulled his wet scarf off his face and wrapped it around Hux’. As he leaned down, arms came to rest around his neck. For a moment Kylo remained as he was before pulling back a little. Hux’ pale eyes flitted over his face, searching for something.

Kylo opened his mouth to say something, but as he inhaled he started coughing violently. He grabbed Hux from the floor and held him tightly against himself.

He couldn’t recall how they got out. Just that at some point he could breathe again and hands helped him sit on the ground, leaning against the cold metal of a car. Throughout the whole time, he held Hux in his arms.

And Hux clung to him in the same way.

  


The soft beeping of the breathing machine almost lulled Hux back to sleep. It was tranquil and slow. But the tube down his throat was uncomfortable and itchy. Feeling around his fingers came in contact with a plastic contraption. Lifting it up, he was able to see a red button on a long cable. He pressed down with his little strength.

Moments later the automatic door swished open and a young woman stepped inside. She was wearing scrubs and a pair of pyjama pants. When she saw him half-sitting in bed, she smiled.

  “Mr Hux, I’m glad you are awake,” she said, sounding sleepy. “I’ll remove the tubus for you. Please lie down again.”

Hux did as she instructed and let her pull the rubus out. Turning off the breathing machine and heart monitor, she sneakily yawned. Slowly peeling off the stickers for the heart machine off Hux’s chest, she leaned against the side of the bed heavily.

  “How are you feeling?” She whispered quietly.

  “I’m good. Am I on morphine?” Hux asked, voice rough.

  “No,” she replied. “We decided to see how you’d fare on non-opioid painkillers.”

  “That’s good.”

  “If you want, I can get some juice or water.”

  “I’m actually quite hungry.”

  “You’re not allowed to have solids yet, but maybe some broth in the morning,” she said with an apologetic smile.

  “Well then, some juice would be nice.”

She nodded slowly before leaving the room again. The soft swishing sound of the door was almost inaudible as she headed off.

Hux rubbed his hands against the soft fabric of the sheets. The little friction brought back some feeling into his stiff and cold fingers. The room was cold and Hux felt a shiver down his spine. He would have to request another blanket. But he would deal with that at a later time.

The most important thing was to get some information as to what exactly had happened at the headquarter. He doubted that the nurse would be of any help, so he was hoping that she’d inform Phasma or Tarkin.

A long snore interrupted the peace and quiet surrounding Hux.

Turning towards the sound, Hux spotted another bed, in corner of the large room pushed against the wall. It looked out of place there and Hux assumed it was simply placed into his room because of the lack of space in the hospital. He’d speak to nurse and request the guest to be removed to another location.

A swish announced the return of the nurse. On a tray, she carried a glass of orange juice and to his surprise a small bowl of crackers.

  “I spoke with the on-duty doctor and she said it would be alright if you ate a little bit. Just go slow and when you get an uneasy stomach, take one of these pills,” she explained and pointed to a small bottle on Hux’ nightstand.

  “Thank you,” Hux replied. “I noticed the other guest in the room,” he pointed over to the bed.

  “Ah, yes. We placed your fiance in the same room as you, figuring that you two wouldn’t want to be apart for too long. He is fine, although his voice is still very rough from inhaling so much smoke,” she smiled. “I’ll leave you know, if you need something else, just ring me.”

Too baffled to reply, Hux watched the nurse leave the room, door sliding shut behind her.

Kylo had lied to the paramedics then. It didn’t quite surprise Hux. He had to admit it was nice having someone around that knew what had actually went down. Hux glance around, finding that he was now only hooked up to his IV.

Without thinking too much, he grabbed it and slowly rolled it around. Leaning on the steel structure, he climbed out of his bed and shuffled over to Kylo’s bed. The sleeping body on the shockingly tiny bed made Hux smile subconsciously.

He sat down on what little space of the bed was still empty. Kylo was quietly snoring, face pushed into the pillow. His hair was spread over the white fabric and Hux reached over to brush one lock off his brow.

He had never seen Kylo so peaceful in his life.

Smiling softly, Hux shuffled closer to Kylo, accidently bumping into his arm. With a startled grunt, Kylo jerked off the bed.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you,” Hux whispered.

  “You’re awake,” Kylo sighed, voice rough as he pushed his hair out of his face.

  “Yeah,” Hux replied.

  “I’m so glad,” Kylo muttered and suddenly pulled Hux into a hug.

Suddenly engulfed with strong, muscular arms Hux gave a startled yelp. Kylo let him go quickly.

  “Did I hurt you?” Kylo asked.

  “No, no… I was just surprised,” Hux chuckled and sighed.

He leaned down and against Kylo. Slowly, Kylo put his arms around Hux again, pulling him closer. Closing his eyes, Hux curled up on the bed beside Kylo. Gently, a blanket was draped over him and he felt the warmth of Kylo’s body beside his.

Fatigue washed through him and he fell asleep.

  


The next morning, Hux woke up when the door opened again. A doctor strode in, a tablet in one hand.

  “Ah,” he stopped dead in front of the empty bed.

  “I’m over here,” Hux said and disentangled himself from Kylo’s arms.

  “Uh,” the doctor cleared his throat. “Sorry, I was just seriously…” He gestured around. “Uhm, nevermind. I am Dr Reinartz, your attending physician.“

Kylo stirred beside Hux, one arm curling around Hux’ waist. Dr Reinartz flushed pink and gestured to the door.

  “I will be back in a moment, I remembered something…”

Before Hux could even speak, he was gone and out the door.

  “Now you scared the poor man away,” Hux said with a frown.

  “I did no such thing. He was welcome to stay,” Kylo muttered and slowly blinked at Hux.

A beat of silence followed, then Kylo shifted to look at Hux properly.

  “I’m glad you are awake. For a moment there… I was really scared y’know?” Kylo said slowly. “I… It feels dump to say this, but… I would’ve probably, definitely really hated myself if you had died.”

  “I didn’t and neither did you,” Hux replied firmly.

He slowly inhaled and looked into Kylo’s eyes, something he had avoided so far. Instead of the dark pits of hate and anger glaring at him, he was faced with pools of chocolate brown warmth.

  “I didn’t know you were capable of puppy eyes,” Hux murmured.

  “I’m a man of many talents,” Kylo replied with a chuckle.

  “This is so weird. Just a week ago I would’ve gladly stabbed you in the neck and now we’re cuddling in a hospital bed.”

  “You would’ve stabbed me in the neck? That’s sweet,” Kylo teased.

  “Just because you saved my sorry ass and both of us realized a few things, it doesn’t automatically mean we’re rainbows and sunshine all of a sudden,” Hux said sharply. “Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he motioned between the two, “but we have more pressing matters than this.”

  “You’re right,” Kylo agreed, sobering up. “Sorry. I got carried away a little.”

  “It’s fine,” Hux said.

In a rare moment of tenderness, he reached out to take hold of the side of Kylo’s face not pressed into the pillow. Gently he rubbed circles into the soft skin of his cheek. The smile on Kylo’s face could’ve powered the entire USA for decades.

  
  


The meeting room was silent when Tarkin stepped inside.

Everyone, even the younger members of the First Order had heard stories about this legend of a man. The skeletal figure slowly sunk into the chair at the head of the table. Looking down the line of people waiting for him to speak, Tarkin took his time to muster every single one of them.

  “Thank you for the invitation Hux,” he said slowly. “I was honoured that you consider me a vital advisor in your current crisis.”

  “Not just an advisor,” Hux replied. “We wanted to offer you the leadership of the First Order. You have more experience than the rest of us combined.”

Tarkin tilted his chin up and looked at Hux, sitting on the other side of the long table. For a few second, everyone waited. No one dared to interrupt Tarkin’s thoughts as he contemplated the offer.

  “Why not you, Hux? You are younger, just as ambitious and ruthless as me. After all it was me who taught you most things you know,” Tarkin pointed out. “I’m old and I will probably not live long enough to teach a successor the robes.”

  “Tarkin, we both know that that’s the same thing you said when you left the Order ten years ago. I am confident that you have enough time left on this earth to teach someone your knowledge. I suggest Rey Skywalker for the position of apprentice. She is smarter than ninety percent on the people in this room.”

  “We’re only barely above ten people,” Tarkin said. “Are you, perchance, including yourself in those ninety percent?”

  “Yes I do,” Hux replied with a smirk. “I’m sure you two will get along swimmingly.”

  “I trust your ability to read people blindly Hux,” Tarkin said. “Why haven’t you suggested yourself for the position of apprentice?”

A beat of silence followed.

Hux rose slowly and inhaled. Kylo and Hux shared a look and Kylo nodded slightly at him. Licking his lips, Hux raised his voice.

  “The reason why I didn’t suggest myself is because I have decided to retire. The latest events have led me to believe that sometimes it’s better to leave a fight when you have the chance. The Deathwatch is disbanding and falling to ruins. I see this a sign for me to leave the First Order and trust you are all capable enough to continue the legacy we’ve built in the past few years.”

Phasma jumped to her feet in surprise, her chair toppling over.

  “Are you fucking kidding me? Why am I only hearing this now?” She yelled. “You are no fucking quitter Hux so I doubt you’ve thought this through properly!”

  “I have and I came to this conclusion,” Hux replied cautiously. “I knew you would react in such a way Phasma. This isn’t about leaving completely, cutting all the lines. I just don’t wish to be a part of the First Order any longer. For the past years it has been my life’s purpose to serve our cause. Now I just want to serve my own.”

  “And leave us here, high and dry?”

  “Kylo stays, Rey stays, Mitaka stays,” Hux replied. “And if we’re able to convince Tarkin to stay, you will have someone even more capable at the helm then I could ever be.”

  “I would’ve appreciated you telling me that earlier,” Phasma said, her anger gone.

  “I understand that,” Hux sighed. “I would’ve felt the same in your position.”

She nodded slowly and walked over to Hux.

  “You will be missed my friend,” Phasma said. “I guess you should do what makes you happy.”

  “I will,” Hux promised.

After both were seated again, Rey opened her mouth to ask a burning question:

  “Who’s taking over the accounting department now?” She looked at Hux.

  “For now Mr and Mr Dameron have agree to work in that position. We will have to see how they are faring,” Kylo replied. “They are more than capable to ensure that the work will be done properly.”

  “So he’s let you in on his plan?” Phasma asked.

  “It was my suggestion after this springs incident,” Kylo said and looked at her calmly. “He came to me for my honest opinion and judging by the fact that the burning of the headquarter was a presumed attack on him as much as the First Order, we decided it was best for his safety and the integrity of this organisation if he left. Trust me, I am not entirely happy with it either.”

  “The First Order has long stopped being an underground organisation and we have to acknowledge that. My reputation has exceeded me and many know about me that shouldn’t have this knowledge,” Hux added. “We’re not doing this lightly, we’ve looked at the issue from all angles. And we have your safety to think about. If I remain in the First Order, all of your lifes are in more danger than strictly necessary. My father made many enemies in his time and so did I. They have no business with the First Order, but why not kill two birds with one stone?”

  “If Hux would’ve taken over the First Order, then in case of his death we’d be headless and vulnerable,” Kylo said. “Snoke was elusive, just like Palpatine before him. Their names were myths and Hux’ just isn’t anymore.”

  “I understand that it was a hard decision, but couldn’t you have found another way?” Rey sighed.

  “Frankly, I have to say this is a good decision.”

Tarkin’s words startled everyone at the table. Heads turned into his direction and the old man’s lips curled

  “Hux has been loyal to the First Order for all his life, dedicated all of his time to us… It’s time now for him to enjoy his life. You are right in assuming that Hux’ reputation, although murderous, is almost common knowledge. He has too big a target on his back if he took over the First Order. I won’t stand in his way of retirement and accept your offer. Under my care the First Order will flourish even more,” Tarkin said and smiled.

It was wolfish and feral, just like the man himself. Hux smirked at him, two men cut from the same cloth agreeing on the matter.

  “And if Ms Skywalker wishes, I will teach her everything I know,” Tarkin looked at the young woman.

  “I would be honoured,” Rey replied. “I’ve heard many stories about you.”

  “You are bound to learn some more, trust me,” Phasma said with a grin.

  “If these things are out of the way, let’s discuss more our next few steps more concrete?” Kylo suggested.

  


Hux was standing on the small balcony, smoking the last cigarette of the day. Naked feet shuffled closer and Kylo appeared in the doorway.

  “Hey,” he said quietly.

  “Sorry, did you wait for me?” Hux stubbed the cigarette out and tossed it into the small bowl sitting on the ground.

  “Yeah,” Kylo replied. “I wanted to go to bed with you, but not when you are so stinky.”

  “I’ll take a shower, okay?” Hux offered and pulled Kylo close.

Wrinkling his nose, Kylo looked at him disapprovingly.

  “I don’t like this habit of yours.”

  “I’m down to two a day baby,” Hux said. “It’ll be over soon. Then I won’t be stinky anymore.”

He leaned up and kissed Kylo’s cheek.

  “Took you long enough…” Kylo grumbled.

  “I want to be off nicotine properly and the best way is to reduce it slowly,” Hux insisted.

Kylo huffed and stepped into the living room. He rolled his eyes as he closed the balcony door and twisted the handle shut.

  “Have you picked up your tux on the way home?” Hux asked, instead of commenting on his boyfriend’s childish behaviour.

  “Yes. I know you wanted to take a look at it before the wedding,” Kylo replied. “It’s in the closet.”

  “I still find it delightful that your cousin is getting married before you,” Hux said and smirked at Kylo.

  “Delightful my ass,” Kylo replied. “It’s damn annoying.”

  “We can still beat them…”

  “Are you proposing?” Kylo teased and pulled Hux close.

  “Would you say yes?”

  “Not when you’re stinky.”

  “Asshole,” Hux muttered and tried to escape from Kylo’s grip. “You always have to make it about my smoking habit.”

  “Yes, I want to annoy you into quitting for good,” Kylo kissed Hux’ cheek.

  “You are doing a damn good job at it,” Hux praised him.

  “Thank you,” Kylo leaned down to capture Hux’ lips.

Chuckling, Hux let himself be lead into the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and giving kudos! If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm charlotte-frey on tumblr and cf.thefreak on insta.


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